RUNAWAY to Premiere at the Palm Springs International Shortfest

RUNAWAY is an official selection of the Palm Springs International Shortfest 2017, where the film will have its world premiere on June 24th at the Camelot Theaters in Palm Springs, California.

RUNAWAY is a narrative film short about a sex worker in Venice Beach and a young runaway girl who develop a friendship. Each girl recognizes some part of herself and her unfolding story in the other. The film was written, directed and edited by Sylvia Saether and produced by Cartter Evans and Steven Berger, with AlexiAndrea Borden, Andy Hong and Anna Cordell as Executive Producers, and Brook Whitmore and Julie Mond as Associate Producers. Cinematography by VanNessa ManLunas, and sound design by Ugo Derouard. It is released through United Spirit Pictures.

Anna Cordell

Tiger Blue Darrien Skylar

Acting credits include Anna Cordellas the sex worker, Tiger Blue Darrien Skylar as the runaway, David Lyons as the trafficker, and Julie Mond as a fellow sex worker.

David Lyons

Julie Mond

Saether tells us:

“The idea was to tell a story that was impactful, raw and grounded, but also fairly contained logistically and financially. We felt a lot of pressure to create honest work that would serve the real girls who are living this life. Sex work is complicated, disturbing, heart wrenching, and often misunderstood. It’s our hope that people are inspired to learn more about the issue after watching the film and we plan to align with several non-profits to help facilitate getting people involved.

“Most youth at risk for sexual exploitation are runaways or ‘throwaway’ youth who have left home due to experiencing neglect or abuse in their homes. It’s estimated that 1 out of every 6 endangered runaways reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children were likely victims of child sex trafficking. Our film was inspired by these youth.”

Tickets for the Palm Springs International Shortfest go on sale to the public on June 14th. RUNAWAY will be screened as part of the program called Brief Encounters: “Sometimes our most deeply felt experiences are drawn from the most fleeting of relationships.”

Hidden Tears Project

Hidden Tears is a media company that partners with non-profits across the country to raise consciousness through media on gender inequality, sexual abuse, and human trafficking, all of which are intrinsically connected.